Thursday, September 19, 2013

Summer Cinema Shootout: July

July tends to be a busy month between my birthday and Comic-Con. After a certain point you tend to want to stop caring but I have great friends who won't let me and end up celebrating it several times at and outside of work via sweets, treats, company wide parties, meat filled dinners and a screening of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for good measure.

The last movie I remember opening on my birthday was 2002's Reign of Fire, the man VS dragon epic set in a charred earth future. This year gave me Pacific Rim, Grown Ups 2, The Hunt (Mads Mikkelsen alert!) and Pawn Shop Chronicles (Thomas Jane alarm!). While I didn't manage to see three of those, I did get out for a few more for the month:

Pacific Rim: The most fun I had at the movies all summer. Makes me wish I had more purpose in life like piloting a giant robot to defend earth from alien invaders instead of being subjected to the fear mongering media, sell out government and desensitized yet touchy masses. The best example of the magic of movies I've seen in a long time.

Red 2: Ridiculous, white washed, older person fun just like the first only a bit more over the top. Like it's predecessor suffers from real lulls but packs some laughs and action with a great cast.

Only God Forgives: The most bizarre and most interesting film of the summer, maybe my year. Shocked at how it progressed but not upset by it. Truly surprised Ryan Gosling took a beating like that and didn't get even. Real guts from the filmmakers to not give the audience what they expected.

The Wolverine: Miles ahead of X-Men Origins, that infuriating piece of expensive, talent filled shit. No army of annoying mutant cameos and would be franchise launchers here. Down and dirty, surprised Fox let them get away with such a serious, existential chapter dealing with loss, love (albeit a little forced, the Jean Grey romance is a tad stretched) and the ol' conundrum of living forever. Whoa, I feel like I'm in Highlander...